Hashtag Best Practices 2017

Hashtags can be a divisive social media tool. Some embrace the # symbol while others are completely mystified about its purpose and power. When used correctly, hashtags can increase engagement and brand awareness; however, if overused, cluttering your post with unnecessary tags can annoy your audience. Assess how well you’re using this powerful marketing tool with our Hashtag Best Practices for 2017.

TwitterTwitter is the birthplace of the hashtag and arguably still the most popular place to use them.

When tweeting, limit the number of hashtags you use. Two hashtags/tweet seems to be the perfect ratio, as any more can clutter the update and take up valuable characters in the strict 140-character count.

Similarly, keep hashtags short. Not only are they easier to remember, long hashtags can be hard to understand and will eat up your character count.

InstagramUsing the right hashtags on Instagram can help showcase your brand and business to new customers. Use popular and relevant hashtags to broaden your audience and build brand awareness.

Use a maximum of 10 hashtags per post, make sure to use tags relevant to your business and use classic hashtags, like #NoFilter or #tbt to reach a broad audience.

Create a custom hashtag for your business or campaign that is short and easy to remember.

Instead of cluttering your caption area with a mountain of hashtags, use the comment section to add searchable hashtags.

FacebookWhile Facebook supports hashtags, the practice isn’t as popular as it is on Twitter and Instagram. Use hashtags sparingly on Facebook as data suggests engagement tends to decrease in proportion to the number of hashtags used. Also, keep in mind the following:

Hashtags on personal accounts are only searchable if the user has relaxed their privacy settings. This is especially important when designing and running a Facebook contest that requires hashtag use for contest entry.

Unlike Instagram, hashtags in the comments section don’t show up in searches—this can also affect contests you run on the platform.

Hashtag Best Practices Additional Tips:

Know the Backstory – Don’t get caught in a PR nightmare using an inappropriate hashtag. While a certain tag might be trending, don’t jump on the bandwagon without doing some research on its background, or you might find yourself unknowingly wading into a controversial conversation.

Use Capitals! While capital letters won’t change the search result of the hashtag, they will make it easier for the consumer to read:

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Hashtags can promote your brand, start a conversation and increase your overall awareness—but only if they are used correctly.